Today’s Gospel reading tells the stories of a woman who was suffering hemorrhages for twelve years and a synagogue official whose daughter was sick and died.

“There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years.” — Mark 5:25

While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue official’s house arrived and said, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?” — Mark 5:35

It is easy to take the fact that the woman suffered for twelve long years for granted. But when we put yourself in her shoes, when we imagine the feeling of waking up every single day bleeding, when we imagine sleeping at night thinking whether or not we will still bleed tomorrow, when we imagine being overcome with grief and uncertainty of whether or not we will ever be healed from our affliction, only then will we realize how difficult it really is. Twelve long years. That’s 4,383 days of waking up and going to bed without any peace of mind. Can you imagine that?

That was how I felt for a year because of failure after failure. While it wasn't because of hemorrhages or any medical condition, it was still difficult. I often found myself crying without really knowing or understanding why. It felt as if there was a dark cloud in my mind covering any ray of light… or hope. No matter how much I tried to stay positive or willed myself to do so, it just didn’t work. The future always looked bleak and hopeless.

It felt like an impossible situation without any way of escaping. I felt hopeless and desperate. I felt like giving up.

Sometimes, I still feel the same with my dreams. I feel as if my dreams are impossible and I just feel like giving up.

But the Gospel tells us how Jesus was able to heal the woman and resurrected the synagogue official’s daughter.

She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. Immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. — Mark 5:27,29

He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around. — Mark 5:41-42

Today, the Gospel encourages us that for God, nothing is impossible. It tells us that God can turn around even impossible situations.

Are you feeling hopeless or desperate? Have you been suffering for days, weeks, months, or years? Are you in an impossible situation?

Like what Jesus said to the synagogue official upon finding out that his daughter has died: